Page 117 of Spark of Sorcery

“No,” I say. “I don’t.”

He runs his hand down his face again as if trying to remove his annoyance. I really do wind him up. I’m surprised he didn’t leave me in the forest to die. It would probably have made his life more bearable. “You need to stay here and rest until the doctor says you are well enough to leave.”

“And how long will that be?” I ask with exasperation.

“As long as it takes.” He shifts his weight from one foot to another. “Look, if there is something you need to do urgently, then I will do it for you. I will help.”

“Seriously?” I ask, surprised. “Why?”

Does he mean the wanting-to-touch-me thing? I’m so confused. Most of the time I appear to irritate him and then there’ve been these other rare occurrences when he looks at me like he wants to kiss me. And he saved me – brought me here to make sure I got the treatment I needed.

“Because,” he says, “contrary to what the world may think about me, I am not a bad person.”

“I don’t think you are a bad person.”

He screws up his eyes as if I just punched him right in the gut. “Maybe you would if you knew,” he whispers.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing,” he dismisses. “What do you need?”

I consider him. Do I trust him? I was tempted once before to tell him about the stone, to show it to him. But that was when I believed it was him who had rescued me from the maze. He did rescue me last night. But this was different. He’s a teacher here at the academy. He holds a position of authority in the academy and the realm. Do I truly believe he wouldn’t tell the necessary people about the dragon?

No, I don’t.

“I’d really like to see my friend, Fly.”

“That’s it?” he says. “That’s the urgent thing?”

“Yes, and it is urgent.”

He strokes his fingers through his matted beard. He knows there’s more. He knows I’m keeping secrets from him. But unlike Madame Bardin, he isn’t going to torture me for them.

“All right,” he says. “I’ll fetch him for you,” I smile, “right after the doctor has given permission for you to receive visitors.” I frown.

“Are you not a visitor?”

“No, I’m your professor.”

And, shit, these drugs they have me on must be really strong, because the way he says that makes me shiver.

But I don’t get a chance to analyze that reaction because, suddenly, the clinic door flings open.

Chapter Forty-Four

Fox

The Princes.

It was inevitable they’d show up. Briony is their thrall. Eventually, they’d track her down, even if I’ve been careful not to tell anyone where she is here. They returned from training exercises today and of course they’d go looking for her. Of course they’d find her missing.

“Little Kitten,” Dray Eros whines, pushing past me to hurry right to the side of her bed. He’s as naked as a newborn baby, not that he seems aware of the fact. “What the fuck happened?”

“Yes,” Beaufort Lincoln growls close to my ear, “what happened?”

I turn my head slowly like I have all the time in the world and meet his glower with my own.

“Are you implying something, Mr. Lincoln?” I ask through gritted teeth.